With tag: school_budgets

For the most part, local
school budgets fared reasonably well on Town Meeting Day -- 220 budgets were adopted and
16 were defeated. But local school
officials say budget pressures will continue to grow in the coming years.

The
vast majority of local school budgets were approved on Town Meeting Day. Officials
say voters supported the budgets because school boards did a good job in explaining the need to increase spending this year.

The Vermont Department of Education says most school boards are presenting level funded budgets to their communities on Town Meeting
Day -- at a time when labor costs, fuel
expenses and health care costs are rising for many school districts.

Normally,
debates about how to spend local tax dollars erupt at town meetings in March and settle down by the end
of mud season. But
in this abnormal economy, a few cities and towns in Vermont are still waging budget battles. In
St. Johnsbury, tempers have been flaring for months, and voters will vote for a
third time Tuesday on a
controversial school budget.

A
majority of school boards have proposed budgets that wouldn't increase spending
above this year's levels. The
Douglas administration says that's good news, but there's concern
that property tax rates might still increase significantly in many towns.

We hear from Education Commissioner Armando Vilaseca and Finance Commissioner James Reardon about their school budget cutting suggestions, and how they would change the school funding system. Also, a new report looks at how charities fundraise.

Most
school budgets in the state were passed back in March at Town Meeting. But
five school districts have been unable to get voter approval of budgets -- and
three of them are in the Grand Isle Supervisory Union.